TikTok was expected to shut down in the US on Sunday afternoon. (AP: Richard Vogel)
In short:
Social media app TikTok appears to have gone offline in the United States and is no longer available in app stores ahead of a ban.
Under a law passed last year and upheld on Friday, the platform had until Sunday to cut ties with ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it poses a threat to US national security.
What's next?
Donald Trump has indicated he is likely to sign an executive order placing a 90-day suspension on the ban.
Social media app TikTok appears to have gone offline in the United States and is no longer available in app stores ahead of a ban coming into effect.
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US," a message to American users read.
"Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.
"We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned."
Other apps owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, such as CapCut and Lemon8, are also no longer available in the app store.
Trump will be sworn in on Monday, local time.
A text box appears blocking US TikTok users from accessing the app. (ABC News)
He has indicated he is likely to sign an executive order placing a 90-day suspension on the ban, introduced over national security concerns about ByteDance.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also plans to attend the US presidential inauguration and attend a rally with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.
TikTok had threatened to go dark if the outgoing Biden administration did not give it reassurances that the ban would not be enforced.
Under a law passed last year and upheld on Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court, the platform has until Sunday 4pm AEDT to cut ties with ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it poses a threat to national security.
The White House reiterated on Saturday that it was up to the incoming administration to take action, increasing the likelihood of a shutdown on Sunday.
"We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
A group of protesters petitions for TikTok to remain online in the US. (AP: J. Scott Applewhite)
The Chinese embassy in Washington on Friday accused the US of using unfair state power to suppress TikTok.
"China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests," a spokesperson said.
Investors eye off app as users head to other platforms
On Saturday, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal to ByteDance to create a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok's US business, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Perplexity is not asking to purchase the ByteDance algorithm that feeds TikTok user's videos based on their interests and has made the platform such a phenomenon.
TikTok could be banned in the US. Here's what Australians can expect
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Other investors have also been eyeing TikTok.
Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary recently said a consortium of investors that he and billionaire Frank McCourt put together offered ByteDance $US20 billion in cash.
Trump's former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin also said last year that he was putting together an investor group to buy TikTok.
Uncertainty over the app's future had sent users scrambling to alternatives including Chinese-based RedNote.
"This is my new home now," wrote one user in a RedNote post, tagged with the words "tiktokrefugee" and "sad".
Minutes after TikTok's US shutdown, other users took to X.
"I didn't really think that they would cut off TikTok. Now I'm sad and I miss the friends I made there. Hoping it all comes back in just a few days," wrote @RavenclawJedi.
Reuters/ABC/AP
